Eli Wallach, veteran character actor dies at 98

JAKE COYLEAP Film Writer Published: June 26, 2014 1:00 PM

NEW YORK (AP) -- Eli Wallach, the raspy-voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and Broadway plays over a remarkable and enduring career has died. He was 98.

The actor's son, Peter Wallach, confirmed Tuesday that his father passed away Monday evening in New York from natural causes.

Wallach, who was still starring in films well into his 90s, may be best remembered for his role as Tuco, the conniving, quick-on-the-draw bandit, in the classic Western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Wallach and his wife, Anne Jackson, were a formidable duo on the stage, appearing in several plays dating back to the 1940s. He won a Tony for his supporting role in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" in 1951.